THEY may not want to see it in print these days. They may not want to hear it, either. Heck, the way things are going at Fordham this year, they may not even believe it anyway.

But if you listen to the coaches in the Atlantic 10, this miserable season to forget on Rose Hill is just a blip on the screen for coach Dereck Whittenburg’s Rams.

Honestly.

“They have a lot of freshmen, and when you have that, there’s a lot of things that go with it,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said. “They have to, first and foremost, understand how hard every day is. Then, there’s that competitive nature on a daily basis that just takes an adjustment. It’s hard, but let’s face it, they have very talented newcomers and they’ll get there.”

Miller’s Musketeers drilled the Rams, 86-60, on Jan. 11. It was just another day at the office for Whittenburg and Co. this year, as they stand 3-16, 1-6 in conference. They’ve had losing streaks of six and eight games. They’ve lost 11 games by double digits. And they’ve lost seven by 20 or more.

Other than that, everything’s just fine in The Bronx.

“When you lose seniors, there’s going to be growing pains,” Miller said of the Rams, who lost five players to graduation. “But these new players, they speak a lot toward the future of the program.”

Miller’s referring specifically to Jio Fontan and Alberto Estwick, a pair of guards from St. Anthony’s in Jersey City who have had solid seasons amid the mess. Fontan leads the team in scoring (14.6) and assists (4.9). Estwick is averaging seven points per game.

“It’s just a matter of time, with those guys,” Dayton coach Brian Gregory said. “I’m telling you, in a few years, you are going to be hard-pressed to find a better backcourt in this league.”

Gregory would know. Aside from a 67-65 upset at St. Bonaventure on Jan. 28, his Flyers saw Fordham at its absolute best. The Rams battled hard before bowing to Dayton, 72-71, on Jan. 14.

“I can tell you this, I’m not excited about playing them again … ever,” Gregory said. “They play well beyond their youth and they really know how to play, even if it doesn’t show in the standings.”

Eventually, though, it will need to show there. Whittenburg is in his sixth season, and he’s never won more than 18 games. He’s had just two seasons at .500 or better, one of which was 16-16. And this may end up being his second in which they don’t reach double-digit wins.

The only thing keeping the Rams out of the conference basement is George Washington (6-13, 0-7). Fordham meets those Colonials today at 1 p.m.

“It doesn’t seem like they’ve lost any energy through it all,” said St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt, whose Bonnies squashed the Rams, 78-65, on Jan. 7. “That’s a credit to the players and the staff.”

But let’s face it, the Fordham faithful is starved for meaningful March basketball again. And no matter what these coaches may say or believe, it appears that is still some time away.

“We’re talking about college basketball here,” George Washington coach Karl Hobbs said. “And in college basketball, you only get credit for wins.”